“How did you know we have just heard from one of my scouts?” Brushing unruly brown hair from his eyes, Sernyn steered me into the sunny parlor, where Anders and Jules were having tea with Elena and the senior Lady Barlow.
Staring at the cozy little party, I announced, “I’m the queen’s Mage Protector. I know everything.” When Elena snorted, and Rosanna shot me a scathing look, I ignored them both and demanded, “Well? Where has Westin been hiding? He wasn’t on the ship just now.”
“He visited the Mage Council Hall in town early this morning, Alex.” My father took my arm and shoved me into a chair before I could even think of protesting. “Apparently, he was up earlier even than you, and then he stayed in the building for nearly an hour.”
“Inspecting his cargo? Or discussing logistics with his co-conspirators?” I stifled another yawn before Rosanna could scold me about my appalling lack of manners. “You think they’re all in on the deal?” I asked Jules, who interacted with the Mage Council nearly as much as I did, which is to say, as little as possible.
“Perhaps. If they are, their involvement might not be voluntary. Brandt was a bully. But I have to admit,” Jules said, offering me a slice of blueberry bread, “I hope they are involved, so I have a legitimate excuse to clean house and find some new mages.”
“Well, today might be your lucky day. They never struck me as being too eager to cross your path.”
“Or yours.”
“Hmm. Where’s Jackson?”
“I thought you knew everything,” Rosanna said dryly, though she did answer my question. “Taking turns with the others, keeping watch.”
“Spying.”
“That’s such a crude word.”
“But accurate.” Gratefully accepting a cup of tea from my father, who stood over me until I took a sip and swallowed a piece of the blueberry bread, I waved the mother hen away. “With the arrest of Seamage Brandt, they’re bound to make their move tonight or tomorrow, in case Elena decides to have the Mage Council Hall searched. I doubt they’d want to run that risk.”
“Then more likely tonight, I think,” my father offered. “The scouts are ready to take their positions whenever you give the word, Alex.”
“Great, thanks.” I broke off another small bit of blueberry bread and popped it into my mouth. “How’s Linsey? I haven’t had a chance to speak with her, though I’d like to.”
“Yes, I’m sure she’d like that, too, Alex.” Rosanna’s expression was odd, unreadable, and worrisome. “Seamage Brandt scared her, as did the unexpectedness of her magic.”
“Understandable. Only moments before the seamage threatened us all, the poor child made a simple suggestion to Emmy, and poof, her wish became reality. It’s a frightening and powerful talent.” I set the teacup aside, watching the older woman’s face, and guessed there was something she wasn’t telling me. “What else? Come on, Rosanna,” I snapped, edgy from lack of sleep and emotional strain. “What else is going on with Linsey?”
“She—” Rosanna glanced at my father before adding, “My granddaughter was frightened of you, too, yesterday.”
“Of me? I didn’t mean to scare her. I had to move fast, and—”
“I know that,” Rosanna defended my action. “I’m not blaming you, Alex. And I’m quite certain the child will be fine, given some time and distance to think about things. Khrista and Lauryn and I, and Emmy, too, bless that little girl’s heart, have spent a lot of time with Linsey, reassuring her about her new powers. The fact her mother is a seamage will help. I have to admit, though it pains me,” —her expression shifted imperceptibly, and I braced for sarcasm— “that both you and Anders have done a wonderful job raising your daughter. Emmy already understands the ethics of her magic, even though she’s lost it and, in her mind, is likely never to have it again.”
“That’s more to Anders’s credit.” I raised my teacup in salute to the man, who’d been listening quietly.
“And your credit, too. Emmy kept telling Linsey, ‘Mama says and Papa says,’ so it’s apparent she’s includes you among her influences.” Rosanna sighed. “But what I really want to know is why I had the misfortune to deal with a brat like you?”
“Obviously,” I drawled, getting up to find Linsey before heading to the cottage for a well-earned nap, “you deserved it.” With a childish expression, I left the little tea party in progress and sauntered down the hall to the opposite wing of the manor to Linsey’s room, where Khrista was watching the girls at play.
When I poked my head into the room, Emmy flew into my arms. “Mama—”
“Whoa, hold on.” I grabbed her in mid-leap and hugged her tight. “Did you really miss me this much? Or did you do something bad and want to fool me so I won’t yell at you?”
“Silly.” She planted a kiss on my cheek. “I missed you a lot.”
“Well, I missed you, too.” Setting her down on the ground, I knelt beside Linsey and held out my arms to her. When the child hesitated, I didn’t let the disappointment show, but waited until she, too, finally came to hug me. Over her head, Khrista and I exchanged a worried glance. “Linsey?” I held her at arm’s length and cupped her chin. “I’m sorry I scared you.”
“Mama said you were trying to save me.”
“I was. I couldn’t let that bad man take you away.”
Smiling, Linsey kissed my cheek, and the growing knot in my gut eased just a little. “Thank you, Alex.” She sat on one of my knees when I sank to the ground cross-legged, and Emmy rested on the other.
“You know how special you are, don’t you? Your magic is exactly like mine, but” —I smoothed light brown bangs from her eyes— “you have to learn to control it and use it to help people. What I did yesterday—”
The little girl’s eyes bore into mine, and I could hear her smart little brain thinking, ‘What you did yesterday, Alex, was to help me.’ And that wasn’t what I wanted her to think.
“When I created fire and wind yesterday to capture the bad men, I did it because it was necessary. When I surrounded them with fire, I didn’t hurt them. I just made it impossible for them to move. I didn’t hurt them,” I repeated, hoping against hope she’d understand my point.
“But you hurt Seamage Brandt.”
“Yes, I did,” I said quietly, holding her gaze. “And I was very sad that I hurt him.” Her eyes went wide in disbelief, so I hastened to add, “He was a mage, too, Linsey, and more powerful than the other bad men, so I had to be sure he wouldn’t hurt you and Emmy. But I didn’t have to throw him around like that. All I should have done was to knock him unconscious. I made a mistake, Linsey. I didn’t have to hurt him as much as I did. Do you understand that?”
“But you saved me, Alex.” Linsey’s tone was defiant. “And I’m glad you threw him around like that.”
“Don’t be glad,” I whispered, worried I’d tainted the child. “It was the wrong thing to do.”
When I left a few moments later, I was more worried than before.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The night was clear and cool, a typical spring evening, though, for what we were doing, too cool in my opinion. I shivered from head to toes beneath the heavier wool cloak I’d donned earlier. Pressing closer to my father for warmth, where we sat companionably together on the roof of the Seaman’s Berth, I kept watch beside him. Down the block, atop the roof of the Mage Council Hall, Jackson and Anders did the same. I squinted past the Stoutheart to see whether I could spy the small fishing boat that carried two of my father’s scouts. I couldn’t see it, though my father did as he peered through the spyglass. The last piece of our web flitted from shadow to shadow along the street, ready to move in a heartbeat when signaled.
“Ah.” My father tapped my arm and pointed toward the bay. “The scouts are drifting eastward.”
“You think the Spreebridge agents used the trapdoor on the port side again to escape notice?”
“Most likely,” my father murmured, eyes locked on the water, “and lowered themselves onto
a waiting boat. If they disembarked onto the wharf, they would run the risk of confronting the Port Alain troops. It will be interesting to see how far along the coast they go, but I doubt it will be too distant.” Glancing at me when I remained silent, he shrugged. “They must make their way back here to take possession of the crates. They would needlessly waste time if they had to travel far into the countryside.”
“Hmmm.” Pulling my cloak tighter around my chilled body, I said, “But they’d have a cart and horses ready, don’t you think?”
Taking the spyglass he offered, I trained my eye on the water and saw the scouts fishing along, looking innocent and natural, though it was the middle of the night. One good thing in their favor was that Port Alain folk fished any time they felt the urge, day or night. Bringing the focus closer to home, I watched a shadow blend into another just beyond the Mage Council Hall. If I hadn’t been aware of their presence, I would have missed the scouts completely. Glancing back toward the water, I turned the spyglass east to find the boat we assumed our scouts were tailing.
“You’re right,” I admitted grudgingly, handing the spyglass back. “The Spreebridge boat is heading inland, just before the curve of seawall a half mile past the end of the harbor.”
“And there,” —my father grinned, showing even white teeth— “is proof that your guess was right. A cart just crossed the road to meet them by the seawall. It seems Anders was smart to refuse your wager.”
“He hates to lose money to me.”
“He hates to lose an argument to you, too.”
“True, but that’s because I’m always right. Well, not always,” I amended, thinking with remorse of Linsey. When he arched one eyebrow at my serious tone, I explained, “I made an error in judgment with Khrista’s little girl.”
“You forget, Alex, though children are impressionable,” my father said, following the progress of the foreign boat as it approached the shoreline, “most eventually listen to reason. Even you,” he murmured, laughing when I elbowed his thin ribs. “And you were angry the other afternoon, not to mention afraid that Seamage Brandt would harm the children.”
“No excuse.” When he glanced at me in surprise, I said earnestly, “Listen, the truth is, I was furious. And in my anger, I forgot the girls were watching. I gave no heed to how my actions would affect them beyond the necessity to keep them safe. I unleashed a lifetime of rage and grief against the seamage in one ill-judged action.”
“Ah.”
“Ah, what?” I demanded, keeping my voice low.
“You admit to being human?”
“I admit to being serious. What if I’ve damaged Linsey’s attitude toward her mage talent?” I said, thinking back on the child’s parting words to me. “What if—” I took a deep breath and said the words I hadn’t had the courage to utter aloud to anyone since we’d found out Khrista was pregnant. “What if her father’s heritage has passed down? What if she’s flawed?”
“Alex—” Surprised at my outburst, my father set aside the spyglass. “There are many things in that child’s life which will influence her attitude toward magic. Perhaps her father’s criminal behavior may one day prove troublesome. For the moment, we cannot know that. And I must confess Rosanna and I have spoken in private about that very topic. She had not wanted to worry you, but it is something we considered. And so,” he went on serenely, while I digested that little fact, “what happened at the cottage with Seamage Brandt is only one of many examples you will set for Linsey as she grows. I expect the rest of your actions, or at least the majority,” he amended, peering out through the spyglass again, a small smile tugging at his lips, “will be well-intentioned and to your credit. Not to mention that the child will be surrounded by other mages, including her mother, who will support her education. Ah, here comes the empty cart with its crew—”
As I listened, the far-off sound of muffled hooves and harness came closer.
“And look, Alex,” —he beamed with boyish delight— “a prize awaits us.”
“Please tell me Westin Harlowe is sitting in the cart.”
“Not only sitting in the cart, Alex, but driving it. The lords of the sea must be generous with their favors tonight.” Sernyn chuckled, as he swung the spyglass toward the Mage Council Hall. “Not only have we caught Westin in the act, but it seems Seamage Brandt’s cronies are waiting in the alley for the cart to arrive. And after tonight’s little adventure, Jules can happily pick and choose a new Mage Council for Port Alain.”
“Perfect.” Envisioning a warm bed in my not-too-distant future, I sighed with pleasure. “So all we need to do now is watch them load the cart and head back out of town on their way to distribute the fake crates of feyweed.”
“Yes, and let the duke’s troopers play their part. Then, Alex, we release the trap and get you into bed for a week’s worth of sleep.”
* * * *
Crouched knee-to-knee behind the bar with Jackson, the two of us waited with growing impatience for the Port Alain trooper, Captain Reedy, to escort Elder Frontish from the Stoutheart, where he was supposedly sound asleep, to the Seaman’s Berth. Faced with the temptation of a handful of open bottles of Marain Valley wine, I reminded myself I was here on the queen’s business, and that she owed me another shipment. The common room had been cleared of tables and chairs an hour earlier to make room for the prisoners, now bound and gagged, whom Captain Reedy had deposited into our care. Along one wall, the captain’s men had stacked the ten sand-filled crates taken from the cart.
Anders and Elena were hidden behind the crates of feyweed-sprinkled sand. In the shadowy opposite corner of the common room, where the tables and chairs had been pushed aside, my father and Kimmer waited together. The rest of our welcoming party, my two half-brothers and Maylen, were uncomfortably squashed into the narrow pantry with Chester.
Through a chink in the wood beneath the bar, carved there years ago by the devious innkeeper, I watched Captain Reedy guide Derek Frontish inside. Although the interior of the inn was dim, the flickering lamplight provided sufficient brightness to give me smug satisfaction as the blood drained from the Spreebridge elder’s skin when faced with the stacked crates and the prisoners, waiting for his inspection and identification.
“What is the meaning of this?” Elder Frontish demanded of the trooper, whose face remained impassive.
Captain Reedy indicated the remaining inhabitants of the room, gathered in a group on the floor. All but one was gagged, and his eyes were narrowed with restrained rage. “We found these men in possession of ten crates stolen from your ship, the Stoutheart. My troopers caught them on the road, heading east toward Belbridge Cliffs. The queen commanded we remain on alert, in the event of such a possibility. I assumed our actions would please you, but—” The captain suddenly appeared uncertain as he watched the elder’s face undergo a number of curious transformations. “These are your goods, aren’t they? The crate markings—”
“My dear captain, I have no idea whether or not these crates belong to the Stoutheart,” Frontish offered with a shrug of apology, his eyes shifting away from the trooper’s bewildered gaze. “You will have to ask the ship’s captain to identify them. In fact, you should bring him here and let me go back to the ship. The captain is responsible for the goods we brought from Spreebridge. I know only we have merchandise to offer for sale, and nothing more as to the contents of each crate, the amount, color or cut of gem or mineral, indeed, nothing beyond what my role as trade negotiator and senior representative of my people demands of me.”
“Smooth, Derek, very smooth, and almost convincing, but he is telling lies, Captain Reedy, I assure you.” With those words, Westin continued to inform the captain, “Derek Frontish is not only responsible for the entire contents of these particular crates, but also behind our little thieving effort tonight. It was his plan—”
“I have no idea what you are talking about,” Elder Frontish countered, telling the Port Alain captain, “This man was obviously trying to steal gems and sell
them at a profit to your country folk, beginning with the people of Belbridge Cliffs. The queen warned me of a possible plot to do so. In fact,” —the elder stood tall, a malicious light in his eyes, as he said— “Jackson Tunney, your queen’s lover, is likely involved in the scheme, as well. Wake up the Mage Protector and ask her about him. She has been tracking his footsteps for the last few days, convinced of his guilt.”
“Now that is an insult and a lie,” Jackson drawled, coming out from behind the shelter of the bar and hopping nimbly over the top. “I take grave offense, Elder Frontish, at the implication and stain on my good name and reputation with the people of Tuldamoran. And Captain Reedy is a friend of mine. As for you, Master Harlowe—” Jackson ignored the elder’s shock and strolled toward his former mentor. “I am deeply saddened you would involve yourself in this man’s narrow-minded scheme.”
“I am completely innocent. Derek duped me, I am ashamed to admit.” Westin’s smile was sheepish as he made the plea to his protégé. “I became involved for a very different reason than you would expect, Jackson. You must understand. Derek planned to slip these crates of feyweed, not gems, as you and your friends suspected, into Tuldamoran. If he succeeded, Derek planned to distribute the potion by means of the local Mage Councils, on the pretense it is an antidote to also be used as a precautionary measure. Do you see how dangerous he is?” Believing he had Jackson half-convinced, Westin sighed heavily and delivered his final persuasive argument. “I came here to Port Alain, Jackson, to stop Derek from carrying out his treachery.”
“You came along to stop Derek by helping him smuggle it from the Mage Council Hall to the surrounding countryside?” Jackson’s expression was blank, and I couldn’t read it.
Did he believe his mentor? Did he want to believe him? Had we underestimated the influence Westin exerted over the queen’s lover?
“Of course not. That was a ruse to get the feyweed out of Derek’s hands.”
Mage Evolution (Book 3) Page 25
